That $500 loan has cost you $1,800. Here's the exit.
Rollovers don't shrink your loan — they just rent it back to you every two weeks. Run your numbers below and get a buyout date, a fee-kill plan, and the exact words to say to the lender.
Predatory Trap Severity Score
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0/100
Enter your loan below — the score updates live as you type.
01
Debt Snapshot
What kind of trap is it, and what does it charge you?
$
$
02
Rollover Scan
How deep the loop already has you.
True annualized fee cost
$1,950
Your fee × 26 pay periods a year. That's the real rent on this loan.
Fees already burned
$300
Pure fees paid so far — and the balance never moved.
Fee-to-principal ratio
60%
Share of the original loan you've repaid in fees alone.
Fee trap sprung: you've paid 60% of the loan's value in fees and still owe the full balance. Every additional rollover is money that buys you nothing.
03
Extinction Engine
Kill the principal, and the fees die with it.
$25 / paycheck
$15 — survival mode$30 — kill it fast
The move: each payday, pay the renewal fee plus this attack amount straight at principal — and get it in writing that the extra goes to principal, not next cycle's fees. The balance shrinks every single check instead of resetting.
Paychecks to freedom
20
Fee + attack each check until the balance hits zero.
Target buyout date
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The day this loan stops touching your paychecks.
Fees stopped · next 6 months
$0
Fees avoided over the next 6 months vs. staying in the loop. If your buyout lands past that window, the savings arrive at buyout instead — rolling never ends, but your attack does.
04
Escape Strategy
Your tier is flagged from your numbers above. The other two stay here — stacks often need more than one exit.
Tier 1 · Title Pawn Critical⚠ Your situation
Emergency Vehicle Defense
A title pawn puts your car — and for most shift workers, the job itself — one missed payment away from a tow truck. Protect the vehicle first, negotiate second.
Never let it lapse silently. Lenders repossess fastest when they can't reach you. Call before the due date and use the script below.
Demand a hardship freeze in writing: interest/fee pause of 30–60 days while you pay principal only. Get the agent's name, the date, and a confirmation number.
Know your state rules. Many states cap title-loan rates, require a right-to-cure notice before repossession, and give you a window to reclaim the car after it's taken. Check your state attorney general's site.
Keep the car insured and keep proof of every payment — money-order receipts or screenshots, stored outside the car.
Bridge out if you can: a credit union loan (Tier 2 math) that pays the pawn off in full ends the repo clock permanently.
Tier 2 · Payday Rollover Loop⚠ Your situation
Credit Union PAL Bridge
When fees run over $100 a month, refinancing beats grinding. A federal credit union Payday Alternative Loan (PAL) pays the payday lender off in full and replaces the loop with one fixed payment that actually ends.
Find a local federal credit union and ask specifically for a "Payday Alternative Loan" — not a regular personal loan. Many let you join with a small deposit.
Bring the payoff number, not a guess: your current balance plus any fee due before the PAL funds.
Have the credit union pay the lender directly where possible, then close the payday account and get a zero-balance letter.
Never stack: the PAL only works if the payday loan is dead. If the math doesn't beat your loop, ask about an Extended Payment Plan instead (see FAQ).
Tier 3 · App Stacking⚠ Your situation
App De-Linking Protocol
Cash advance apps survive on one thing: permanent ACH access to your checking account. Revoke the access, and the stack collapses on your schedule — not theirs.
List every app with your bank login or debit access (Earnin, Dave, Brigit, MoneyLion, Albert…). Screenshots of each balance owed.
Revoke inside each app first: settings → linked bank → disconnect, and turn off "tips," instant-transfer defaults, and any membership you don't use.
Then revoke at the bank: tell your bank in writing that ACH authorization is withdrawn for each company. You have this right under federal Regulation E — see the FAQ.
Replace the apps with a micro-sinking fund: auto-move $10–$25 per paycheck into a separate savings pocket labeled "Emergency." In 2–3 months it covers the exact emergency the apps were "solving."
Pay remaining app balances on your terms: one at a time, smallest first, from the sinking fund — no new advances to pay old ones.
$0-fee emergency cash alternatives: a credit union PAL (Tier 2), an employer payroll advance or earned-wage access through HR, a payment plan negotiated directly with the biller, local assistance via 211 (dial 2-1-1 — free, confidential), or your utility's hardship program. Every one of those costs less than one instant-transfer fee plus a "tip."
Screenshot this · Your exit plan
Predatory Debt Exit Blueprint
Trap
Payday Loan
Severity score
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Fees wasted to date
$0
True yearly fee cost
$0
Attack per paycheck
$25
Target buyout date
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Fees stopped · next 6 months
$0
Next rollover hits
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Say this to the lender
Fee-free exits to line up next
Credit union PAL — $200–$2,000, APR capped at 28%, no rollovers. Ask for it by name.
Extended Payment Plan — split the balance into fee-free installments. In many states the lender must offer it if you ask before the due date.
Dial 2-1-1 — free, confidential local help with utilities, rent, and emergency cash assistance.
Micro-sinking fund — $10–$25 per paycheck into a separate pocket so the next emergency never meets a lender.
Act before your next rollover date — every renewal is a fee that buys you nothing
What is an Extended Payment Plan — and is it my right?
An Extended Payment Plan (EPP) lets you split a payday loan balance into several installments — typically four — with no additional fees or interest. In many states, lenders are legally required to offer one if you ask before your due date, and industry best-practice rules (and the laws in states like Florida, Illinois, Washington, and others) back that up. The catch: you usually can't take a new loan while on an EPP, and asking after you've defaulted may be too late. Ask early, ask in writing, and keep the signed plan.
Why does a title pawn put my car at risk?
Because your car title is the collateral — you hand the lender the title (and sometimes a spare key or GPS tracker) when you sign. Miss a payment and, in many states, they can repossess the vehicle without going to court first. Federal data has found roughly 1 in 5 title-loan borrowers end up losing their vehicle. For a shift worker, losing the car usually means losing the job too — which is why Tier 1 treats the title pawn as the emergency, not just another bill.
How do I revoke an app's ACH access to my account?
You have the right to stop automatic debits. Do it in two places: (1) in the app — disconnect the linked bank and cancel memberships; (2) at your bank — notify them, ideally in writing at least 3 business days before the next scheduled debit, that you've revoked authorization for that company. Under federal Regulation E, your bank must honor a stop-payment on a recurring debit; they may charge a modest fee, which is still cheaper than an overdraft spiral. Revoking access doesn't erase what you owe — it puts repayment back on your terms so you can pay it down without surprise drafts.